02JUN38 |
Construction
completed at Burbank.
|
24JUN38 |
Delivered
to KNILM by Lockheed and subsequently shipped to the Netherlands East
Indies.
|
JUL38 |
Registered
to KNILM Batavia as PK-AFP.
|
09FEB42 |
Damaged
by straffing from Japanese fighters at Kemajoran, Batavia. Several
other aircraft were damaged and abandoned but PK-AFP escaped to Australia.
|
FEB42 |
Used
with other KNILM aircraft on evacuation flights from the NEI to Australia
in advance of the Japanese invasion. After escaping to Australia the
aircraft was operated by KNILM under charter to the military.
|
28MAR42 |
Acquired
from KNILM by the USAAF. Operated by the Allied Directorate of Air
Transport, Brisbane. Also operated by the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron.
Issued with radio call-sign VHCXJ.
|
08OCT42 |
Crashed
at Rockhampton, Qld. One reference states that the aircraft suffered
an undercarriage collapse and was "completely burned" and that the
pilot, Major James Cobb, claimed that the accident was caused by sabotage.
(G.J. Casius AAHS Journal Summer 1983 p.148). In view of the duration
of the ensuing overhaul, this report may not be too far from the truth!
|
11DEC42 |
VHCXJ
was delivered to Guinea Airways Ltd at Parafield to be operated on
behalf of ADAT.
|
15DEC42 |
A
DCA report states that VHCXJ will require "extensive major reconstruction".
Such work was subsequently performed by GAL at Parafield.
|
FEB44 |
VHCXJ
was fitted with the engines from GAL's damaged Lodestar VHCAC to expedite
the return to service of VHCXJ.
|
13MAR44 |
CofA
application from GAL. Fitted with four cabin settees to seat 15 passengers.
|
17MAR44 |
Test
flown at Parafield. The aircraft logbook states: "Completely rebuilt
after suffering severe damage by gunfire. All materials and repair
schemes to approved DCA requirements." It is presumed that the gunfire
damage was that incurred at Batavia in February 1942.
|
21MAR44 |
Test
flown again at Parafield.
|
22MAR44 |
CofA
No. X17 issued. (The X series CofA was to permit the carriage of civilians
on military aircraft).
|
22MAR44 |
Entered
service with GAL Parafield-Katherine.
|
15APR44 |
Arrived
Parafield from Daly Waters and withdrawn from service having been
replaced by a C-47. Since entering service with GAL, VHCXJ had operated
mainly to Katherine, Fenton and Daly Waters.
|
16MAY44 |
VHCXJ
was withdrawn from the ADAT agreement.
|
20JUN44 |
In
a retrospective book-keeping exercise, the aircraft was formally taken
on charge by the USAAF under the designation C-111-LO and allocated
the serial number 44-83234. It should be noted that this serial was
never carried on the aeroplane, although the aircraft earlier carried
a GAL identification of "W34" which was evidently derived from this
retrospective USAAF serial.
|
18JUL44 |
Pilot
training conducted at Parafield.
|
AUG44 |
GAL
advised DCA that "VHCXJ has been used on pilot endorsement and other
such work in recent months, but not on the Courier service."
|
30SEP44 |
Parafield-Iron
Knob-Parafield.
|
01OCT44 |
Parafield-Kingscote-Parafield.
|
06OCT44 |
Test
flown at Parafield.
|
13OCT44 |
Test
flown at Parafield.
|
17OCT44 |
Parafield-Kingscote-Parafield.
|
11NOV44 |
Test
flown at Parafield.
|
21NOV44 |
Test
flown at Parafield.
|
22NOV44 |
Test
flown at Parafield.
|
24NOV44 |
Test
flown at Parafield.
|
09JAN45 |
Test
flown at Parafield.
|
10JAN45 |
Test
flown at Parafield.
|
17JAN45 |
Test
flown at Parafield.
|
21MAR45 |
CofA
expired. A DCA report states: "It is understood that Guinea Airways
are handing the aircraft over to the War Disposals Commission."
|
46 |
Sold
to Harold Mortimer and Arthur Bergen of Adelaide for £25.
|
|
Photographed
in the Adelaide suburb of Gepps Cross with wings still attached.
|
22FEB47 |
Moved
by road from Parafield to the Adelaide suburb of Prospect where it
was parked in the backyard of Mr Mortimer's house in Guildford Avenue.
The outer wings were removed and lying on the ground alongside the
aircraft which Mr Mortimer intended to convert to a caravan.
|
JUN66 |
By
this time the fuselage was in use as a garden shed, the house now
being owned by Mr M. Linke. The fuselage still showed "Guinea Airways
Ltd" on the nose, code "W34" behind the cockpit windows and "U.S.
Army" under the wings.
|
74 |
Pearce
Dunn attempted to acquire the aircraft for his Warbirds Air Museum
at Mildura, but by this time, the aircraft had become built in and
Mrs Linke would not allow his planned use of a big crane to lift it
over the house.
|
75 |
The
aircraft was sawn up by Browns Scrap Metal into pieces that could
be moved down the driveway to the truck out on the street. Some components
went to the Warbirds Air Museum at Mildura.
|